Van Alen Institute to Present THE HOUSE TRANSFORMED, Exhibition On Domestic Architecture

Van Alen Institute will present The House Transformed, an exhibition featuring new ideas for domestic architecture. Following its debut at the Princeton University School of Architecture (SoA), Van Alen is restaging the exhibition in their Urban Room at 303 Bond Street, Brooklyn through May 22, 2026.

The House Transformed rejects conventional notions of the nuclear family and a “one-size-fits-all” approach to home. Through models and drawings, participants develop alternative concepts for collective living, multigenerational households, or living alone. This interactive exhibition encourages visitors to engage with these models and drawings.

Each project focuses on one household and that household's needs for daily life, bringing to light domestic ideas deeply ingrained in cultural norms but often ignored when discussing the power of architecture. For example, many projects explore what it means to age in place or the transformation families undergo with the passing of time. Others consider the expansion of the domestic sphere to include working from home in a myriad of forms. Participants also address how architecture can structure forms of sharing and mutual care — themes central for extended families living together, roommate arrangements, or cohousing.

The House Transformed is curated by Mónica Ponce de León with Shoshana Torn and Massimo Giannone.

"Van Alen Institute has a long history as one of New York's premier destinations for new ideas in architecture. Now, with The House Transformed, we're excited to inaugurate our Gowanus space as a venue for thought-provoking design exhibitions,” said Hayley Eber, Executive Director, Van Alen Institute. "We're thrilled to collaborate with the Princeton University School of Architecture on this critical exhibition, which provides an important platform for designers rethinking one of architecture's most fundamental forms."

"Family has never been homogeneous, and it has never been simply 'nuclear,'" stated Mónica Ponce de León, Curator. "Many of us live with our extended family; countless consider friends their family, while others want to live alone, or with roommates who are mostly strangers. Some of us would like to age gracefully; others want to play, and many want to work from home. Love takes different forms, and it includes couples without children, single parents, and those in polyamorous relationships. Households come in many shapes, and yet, architecture has continued to insist on one-size-fits-all. Neutrality has proven to be exclusionary and has not served us well."

Visit vanalen.org for upcoming public program announcements.